


Fire the Weatherman

by CloudedSkies_OpenEyes



Series: Random Fics from the Depths of my Flashdrives [2]
Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Gen, I use Kurusu Akira, I was always curious what would happened if the weather changed while in the Metaverse, also child!Phantom Thieves are adorable, because i like it better, faintly hinted onesided akechi/akira, fight me, if you squint and tilt your head sideways
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-20
Updated: 2019-06-20
Packaged: 2020-05-15 03:12:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19286938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CloudedSkies_OpenEyes/pseuds/CloudedSkies_OpenEyes
Summary: What happens when a sudden weather change occurs in the Real World while the group is exploring Mementos? For who knows what reason, everyone but Morgana is turned into small children, and the Personas are forced to exist outside of them for safety reasons. As Morgana requires a driver and none of the Personas are small enough to drive, the group is forced to take the long way back to the entrance.akaWhen something out of the ordinary happens, being Morgana is suffering. Also, Captain Kidd is absolutely hopeless with children.





	Fire the Weatherman

**Author's Note:**

> -Crack fic anybody?
> 
> -This is honestly a little old. Like sometime early last year old.
> 
> -Occurs between 3 September - 5 September, before the Hawaii trip.

**Fire the Weatherman**

* * *

 

Since there was a few days to go before the school trips would occur, Akira had suggested the group take care of a request in Mementos and then train. It was a good chance to exercise their skills, since they certainly wouldn’t be able to on said trips. Plus it would be Futaba’s first time in Mementos, and it seemed a good idea to get her accustomed to it now rather than later.

It was a clear day and only semi-hot, with no pollen or viruses going around, so it was expected to be a fairly normal expedition. Everything went smoothly, from finding and defeating the target, to getting all the way to the next barrier that refused to open. The problems started when, as they decided to take the slow way back up to the nearest rest area, the atmosphere of Mementos completely changed.

Had they been out in the Real World, they would have seen the tremendous thunderstorm that brewed out of no where, drenching the city in torrential rains. In Mementos, the heat almost completely died away and the ambient power skyrocketed, alluding to a large influx of powerful Shadows. That influx of power ripped through all parts of Mementos, and slammed into the Thieves mid-battle with a single Anubis-type Shadow.

All of the Thieves were sent crashing to the ground, even Oracle was knocked out of the air, and the power reacted strangely when it collided with the active Persona energy they were relying on. In several flashbang-levels of light bursts, all but Mona felt their bodies changing before their minds started to go a little fuzzy. When the light cleared, Mona’s jaw practically dropped to the floor as he took in the sight of his team…as young children, probably around four or five years old.

Oracle was the smallest, her ginger hair in a more long bob-style, and her belt and boots were the only things that didn’t shrink with her. Necronomicon was hovering over her, and Mona was pretty sure the faint screeching noice he could hear from it was one of absolute worry.

Skull looked a little on the pudgy side, with his hair the same style but black now. His jacket, gloves, belt, and neckerchief laid around him in a pile, and the rest of his outfit hung just slightly loose. Captain Kidd stood on his ship beside the boy, with an expression like someone had hit him in the face with an anvil.

Panther was actually the tallest, her hair hanging loose around her and seeming like it would go to her ankles if she were standing. All of her outfit had shrunk with her, and the top had actually changed so there was no longer a chest opening. She was sitting in Carmen’s lap, who was worriedly cooing at her wielder after having flung her hapless suitors against the nearest wall apparently.

Queen, much like Skull and Panther, was a little pudgy and her hair was much longer, though it was tied neatly in a braid. Her sleeved-shoulder pads, gloves, and over vest were on the ground, leaving her in a sleeveless body suit and her boots. She was perched on Johanna, looking around in complete confusion, while the Persona in question was murmuring in distress.

Fox was still thin and waif-like but shockingly looked healthier than his teenage self, his skin having more color and the slight roundness of his cheeks indicating a decent diet. His whole outfit had shrunk down as well, the zipper closed closer to his neck, and the boy was absently petting his own tail while looking around in abject curiosity. Goemon was kneeling beside him with a calmly assessing gaze, his ice pipe no where to be seen.

It took a second to spot Joker, but he too had become a child. He was curled up in Arséne’s arms and wings, the Persona sitting cross-legged on the ground –and Mona wondered how he’d managed that with those heels. Joker’s coat and gloves were the only things that hadn’t shrunk, and his sleeveless vest made it easy to see he was just as waif-like as Fox, though his hair was a little longer and somehow even fluffier-looking. He also looked much less healthy, skin nearly porcelain white and cheeks a little thin. It was hard for Mona to tell, since Arséne was not his Persona and therefore he couldn’t read his expression like Joker could, but the feline had a distinct feeling Arséne was on high alert, looking for any threats.

That reminded Mona that they had been in the middle of a fight, but when he looked around he saw no signs of the Shadow.

“The Shadow took the opportunity to flee, Mona.”

Mona startled a little as Zorro appear at his side, but he shot the Persona a grateful look for the information. “That’s good, because I have no idea how to begin dealing with this. What happened?”

“Judging by the change in ambiance, I would say an extreme shift of weather occurred in the Real World,” Zorro offered. “Possibly torrential rain, given the surge of power.”

“Okay, that sounds reasonable. But why did it cause…this?”

“As to that, I haven’t the slightest.”

“It matters little,” Arséne put in, his normally smooth tones tense and almost curt. “The effect will be nullified if we get them out of Mementos. The bigger issue is that we are at the bottom of the most recently discovered area of Mementos. The Shadows will be strong and our wielders are helpless and vulnerable in this state. Their bodies cannot handle our current strength, so we cannot revert to mask form. And while we can still use our abilities, they will be at half strength without our connections fully intact.”

“…And I need a driver for my van form. But even then, most of you wouldn’t fit,” Mona added dejectedly. “We’re going to have to do this the long way, aren’t we?”

“Indeed.” Mona sighed heavily at Zorro’s confirmation.

“Er, first, could someone tell me what I’m supposed to do here? I don’t have the slightest clue what do with a youngling.”

Mona, Zorro, and Arséne all looked over to Captain Kidd, who was hovering uncertainly over mini-Skull…who was trying to latch on to his ship and seemed to be tearing up when he couldn’t. The feline and his Persona couldn’t help but find it funny. Arséne was less than impressed.

“Is he, or is he not, your wielder and charge, _Capitaine_?”

“Yes, of course he is.”

“Then get down off your high deck, strap on a pair, and take care of your charge. The link may be faint, but it is still there and will tell you what he wants and needs.” Arséne’s response was just short of a growl, a hand automatically combing through Joker’s hair in comfort when the boy slightly flinched at the sound.

While the Captain grumbled about ‘vain, prissy winged bastards’, he did look down at Skull uneasily for a moment. He then huffed a loud sigh and hopped off his ship, carefully picking the child up and setting him up on the deck in his place, instantly making Skull happy. The Captain went back to looking overwhelmed as Skull started chattering at him non-stop, making almost all the other Personas laugh at him while Arséne did his best to make it obvious he was rolling his eyes.

“Well, while the Captain tries to murk through his first foray into fatherhood,” Carmen lilted, chuckling as the Captain sputtered at her. “How should we go about this?”

“Mona and I will have to spearhead any fights, as we are currently the only ones with access to our full strength,” Zorro started, arms crossing in a mirror of his wielders current pose. “I would recommend we rotate who assists us, much as the young ones normally do. Those not fighting will guard the children.”

“Perhaps I should stay on the frontline as well,” Johanna added, her input hesitant. “My young one cannot sit and hold onto the steering bars properly like this and I have no way to actually catch or shield her. In addition, there are currently not many Shadows with resistances and immunities to my battle type.”

“Oh! We could have the girls share the Captain’s vessel with his wielder! It would certainly keep them entertained while we deal with the rabble,” Carmen suggested, smiling at Captain Kidd with menacing sweetness when he made a sound of protest. “Now, now, Captain. Sacrifices must be made when it comes to children. I’m certain you’ll get your vessel back in one piece once this is over.”

“Not my Oracle. She’s staying with me,” Necronomicon insisted, child-like voice clearly frazzled. She followed the statement up with transporting mini-Oracle into the cockpit, systems humming to life for navigation.

“Would it not be safer for all of the children to stay with you, Necronomicon?” Goemon inquired, having scooped up mini-Fox sometime during the discussion.

“I only have so much room, and the interior is an anti-gravity cockpit,” the UFO Persona replied. “Your Fox gets motion sickness, which anti-gravity worsens, and Arséne’s Joker doesn’t seem to have the health to bear it right now. And I’m not letting Captain’s little monkey anywhere near my control panels.”

“ _Oi!_ ”

“Hush up, you! I wouldn’t let _you_ anywhere near my controls either!”

Johanna very audibly sighed as she glanced at Arséne in shared weariness. “This…is going to be most unpleasant, isn’t it?”

“Most likely.”

…-…-…

It felt like the group had been traveling and fighting for hours. Thankfully, most of the children were well-behaved and refrained from causing problems. Queen had even gone to sleep and was currently ensconced in Necronomicon with Oracle.

Unfortunately, Skull had a tendency to either try wandering off or trying to jump into battles in a desire to play. To her credit, Panther did try to stop him every time, but it always ended in the pair squabbling. Joker had attempted to get between them only once, only to get winded when a stray shove from Skull sent him sprawling. (That had nearly gotten the boy a Curse spell to the face, but thankfully Arséne had prioritized vaporizing his current enemy and scooping his wielder up for a cuddle over punishing Skull.) Now Joker and Fox would just sit quietly on Captain Kidd’s ship when the two fought, clapping every time the Personas won a fight and generally staying out of Skull’s and Panther’s reach.

It was just as the group was reaching the upper levels of Chemdah that an actual problem occurred.

Mona and Zorro, with Arséne, Johanna, and Carmen, had just finished off five more enemies, Carmen having switched with Goemon when Necronomicon mentioned their Fire Weakness. The ominous sound of chains in the distance made the group pause for just a moment as the Personas exchanged grim looks.

“It appears we have lingered longer than intended on this floor. The Reaper is near,” Goemon intoned, pipe held in preparation for a possible ambush.

“This is bad. That Shadow’s so strong, I don’t think we should even try to attack it. Definitely not with the team like this,” Mona fretted, turning to glance at Captain Kidd’s ship…only to freeze with bugged out eyes. “Wait, where did the kids go?!”

“What’re you–“ Captain Kidd looked behind himself, where his ship had been floating with the kids on deck during the battle, and realized both the ship and the kids were gone. “Ah…Shit…”

“You are going to _become_ shit if I find even one scratch on _ma moitié, Capitaine_ ,” Arséne growled, the flames of his mask blazing as he swept down a side path in whirl of feathers, following the faint sense of his wielder within his soul.

“Oi, why am I getting the brunt of your threats? The lookout and iceberg didn’t notice them go missing either!” Captain Kidd complained, pointing at Necronomicon and Goemon respectively.

“It was your turn to watch them, ergo, you are getting the blame,” Carmen sniped at him, a quick snap of her fingers causing a burst of flame under the seat of his pants expressing her displeasure.

The skeleton was quick to put out the flames, grumbling as he followed behind the others. All grumbling and arguing quickly ceased as they realized they were getting closer to the sound of chains, just before they heard the unmistakable sound of a shot firing and hitting wood. The Personas blurred into movement as four yelps rang out, entering one of the many large rooms with pillars that were common in Mementos in time to see the children fall off the ship not far from the Reaper.

Johanna poured on the speed and simply ran the Reaper over to catch its attention, blazing Nuclear power over her tires to leave burning skid marks on the Shadow. Sending a mental command to his ship, Captain Kidd unleashed a double volley of lightning, catching the Reaper between the two bolts. Finally, Goemon received a boost from Necronomicon and unleashed a strong enough burst of ice to freeze the Reaper solid, if only for a few moments.

“Grab them and let’s go! We’re not far from the stairs to the next level up!”

Not that Necronomicon’s announcement was wholly necessary, given that Arséne was already scooping up Joker and Fox while Zorro obligingly grabbed Panther and Skull. The group was back out of the room and speeding for the stairs just as the Reaper broke free. On the plus side, with the Reaper around and the presence of a few very angry, very strong Personas openly displayed, the minor Shadows that could have delayed them made the smart decision of fleeing the area. Once up the stairs, thankfully leading to a rest area, the children were sat down for a proper scolding.

“What were you all _thinking_ running off like that?! Joker, I thought better of you!” Mona yowled at them, Joker flinching back when the cat motioned at him.

“But the other person wanted to show us something nice!” Skull complained, completely unrepentant even as his eyes watered up defensively.

“What other person, lad? There was no one else there, or the lookout would’ve said something,” Captain Kidd huffed, still irritated at being blamed for the kids being able to sneak off.

“He looked like a big person, a people person,” Panther described helpfully, Fox and Joker nodding with her.

“He had black and purple stripes,” Fox added, deeming that sufficient and turning to offer for Joker to play with his tail accessory.

“He had a black helmet-mask thing, too,” Joker also added, absently petting the offered tail but not looking away from Arséne.

That caught all of the Personas’ attentions, and made Mona stop the scolding in concern. “Wait, you saw a human with a black mask? The Black Mask was here?!”

“I…didn’t pick up anything on my scanners,” Necronomicon put in a bit hesitantly. “If he was here, his Persona must have kept his power suppressed very low.”

Carmen gave a slight grimace of distaste. “Something to ponder later, when this situation is fixed.” She then tutted at the group of four. “And darlings, you should know better than to run off with a stranger who tries to take you from the group. It’s not safe.”

“We’re sorry…” Joker, Fox, and Panther replied, ducking their heads in chastisement.

Skull pouted, crossed his arms, and groaned. “Fine, I’m sorry.”

Eyes narrowing at Skull’s less than genuine apology, Carmen sent a pointed look at Captain Kidd. “You’re carrying him from now on, Captain. That should keep him out of trouble.”

“…Aye aye…”

…-…-…

Upon finally reaching the entrance to Mementos, Arséne had Mona pull Joker’s phone from his coat to transport them all out, ignoring the curious gaze of Justine standing at the Velvet Room’s door. If she wasn’t going to offer assistance than the Gentleman Thief had zero patience to indulge her with an explanation. The transition back was horribly disorienting, as the children shifted back to their true ages and the Personas finally returned to their hearts. Sadly, the teens’ memories of what happened were a blurred mess.

“Weren’t we just fighting? How’d we end up back here?” Ryuji asked as he held his head with a wince. “Damn, headache…”

“I vaguely recall falling out of Necronomicon…but then getting pulled back in and…I think I was sleeping for a while?”

“Huh…I sort of recall getting pulled into Necronomicon myself…and something about a nap…?”

“…I remember arguing with Ryuji a couple times…And for some reason I think Carmen threw her suitors into a wall…or did I imagine that?”

“…I think I recall Goemon mentioning something about a weather shift? Or was that Zorro?”

“Arséne was definitely carrying me at some point…and I think we were chased by the Reaper…?”

Morgana whined at them. “Don’t tell me you guys actually forgot what happened?! Your Personas and I spent _hours_ keeping you all safe because you turned into _children!_ ”

“Wait, for real?!”

“Children…?”

“ _Ooh_ , I hope Necronomicon got pics! I’d pay good money to see mini-me’s of you all!”

“What do you mean by hours, Morgana? According to my phone, it’s only two hours after that shoot I had to do today, so we were only in there an hour and a half.”

“…Judging by your tone, I’d surmise we were a handful, Morgana?”

Akira said nothing, playing with a lock of his hair a bit subconsciously as he turned his attention to Arséne. _‘Should I be concerned?’_

_“…We shall discuss it later,_ ma moitié _. Suffice to say, the weather report was inaccurate today, and that we should be wary of weather changes while within Mementos from now on.”_

…-…Elsewhere…-…

_“You know, they were surprisingly adorable for children.”_

_‘Shut up, Robin Hood.’_

_“Oh don’t be like that, I saw you try to snap a picture of the little leader.”_

_‘You shut up too, Loki!’_

**Author's Note:**

> \- ma moitié: French, pet name generally meaning 'my other half'
> 
> \- Yes, I like having Arséne refer to Akira with various French pet names. Fight me.


End file.
